Universe and You
by gingaloid
Summary: She was a flame-haired beauty and he was the cute boy who helped her out of the Trevi Fountain one June night. Sometimes, the Universe has a funny way of behaving.


**A/N: Slightly AU. Emma is not from Lima, nor is she OCD and mysophobic in this story. **

**Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own Emma Pillsbury, Carl, Ken, Will or the Trevi Fountain.**

* * *

><p>"Emma! Emma, get down from there!" The two young men were laughing as their friend was dancing along the edge of the Trevi Fountain at one in the morning.<p>

"No," she giggled, spinning to face them, "I am going to make a wish!"

The young redhead stood barefoot on the edge of the fountain, dancing around it effortlessly, spinning and hopping. Her ivory pixie-style dress was flowing in the wind, sprawling out with each turn and flying behind with each leap. Both boys stared at her in awe between laughs and pleas for her to stop it.

It was the summer before college. Emma Pillsbury had never been the most adventurous type, but she'd decided to take a chance and do something fun for the summer. When her friend Carl asked her to go to Italy with him and his cousin Ken for eight weeks, Emma happily agreed. It was her last summer before adulthood; why not take that opportunity?

They'd done quite a few things on their trip that normally, Emma would not condone. They stole a Vespa, each of them got a tattoo, and tonight, on the first day of their fourth week in Italy, Emma found herself tipsy. Dancing on the edge of the Trevi Fountain. At one in the morning.

Reaching into the small purse on her hip, Emma grabbed a few coins and spun around again, throwing them into the fountain, making a wish for each coin that she threw in. Each wish was the same. _I just wish that somewhere out there, there's a boy who will love me. _As the coins plopped into the water, Emma smiled and turned towards Carl and Ken. She was preparing to jump off of the edge and return to her laughing friends when her foot slipped backwards and she tumbled backward into the cold fountain water.

x-x

It was the summer before college. Will Schuester wanted nothing more than to stay home and get started on packing up, preparing for the next four years in New York City, studying Theater Arts at NYU. He was pumped to spend two months at home, vegging out and watching musicals, teaching himself a new instrument, perfecting his vocals. Graduation night, a wrench had been thrown in that plan when his parents presented him and his brother with a ticket to Italy for the summer. Six weeks. Will had told them he was so grateful, and two weeks later, he boarded a plane with his older brother to Italy. Once they'd landed, Michael had taken off, saying something about chasing some fine Italian tail, and besides breakfasts in the morning, Will rarely saw his brother.

Will spent a lot of time walking the Italian streets, taking in the culture, the food, the museums and all the touristy places he could find. The warm, fresh Italian air was beautiful at night, and the young brunette often found himself wandering the streets into the early morning hours. Tonight, on the first night of his second-to-last week in Italy, Will found himself alone. Walking past the Trevi Fountain. At one in the morning.

He heard some laughter and spotted two men a few feet away from the fountain and was about to continue on his way when something stopped him. There was a beautiful young girl with flaming red hair on the edge of the fountain. _Dancing barefoot. _

"No! I'm going to make a wish!"

The determination in her voice paired with her spin afterwards had Will intrigued. He started walking closer, needing to see this redhead closer. She was a vision and he was awestruck. He froze when she turned toward the men, her mouth opening to say something more when she slipped back and fell into the fountain with a squeal.

Will eyed the two men; were they going to help her? No. The two collapsed to the ground in laughter and Will sighed, walking over to the edge of the fountain, reaching out a hand to the girl. Her hair was matted to her face and she looked astonished to find herself sitting in a fountain of water. But God, she was beautiful. Her big brown eyes looked up at him innocently, and he could see an adorable sprinkling of freckles across her nose.

"Let me help you," he said as she eyed his hand, "Come on. I'm not gonna bite."

After a few moments of contemplation, Emma grabbed the gentleman's hand and stood, stepping out of the fountain. She retracted her hand and adjusted the top of her dress and the straps, frowning to see that her ivory dress was now quite see through, her black underwear shining through like a slutty beacon.

"Well that's embarrassing," she muttered, "Thank you for the help, uhm….?"

"Will."

"Will. Thank you for the help, Will." She moved slightly closer to him before pulling away and sauntering over to Ken and Carl, taking Carl's jacket and wrapping it around herself.

"Hey, wait a moment. Don't I get to know your name?"

Emma turned around, a small smirk dancing on her lips. "Does the Prince ever find out the Princess's name right away?" She shook her head. "No. You have to find her and return the glass slipper."

With that, she started walking away; Carl and Ken following close behind.

"But how will I find you?" Will asked, clearly perplexed. This girl was something interesting, alright.

Emma turned around and walked back to him, stopping a few feet away.

"I'll give you a clue. We're staying in a hotel that is within a two mile radius from this very fountain, and I'll be here for another month."

Smiling, she turned and ran after Ken and Carl, leaving Will to stare after her wanting more.

x-x

The next morning found Emma and Will on two completely different ends of the energy spectrum.

When Emma's wake-up call rang at seven-thirty, she groaned and answered it, groggily thanking the woman on the line and returning the phone to its receiver. She sat up and frowned, her head throbbing slightly.

"Yep," she mumbled to herself, getting out of bed, "You are one lightweight drinker, Emma."

Shuffling over to the bathroom, she caught a look of herself in the mirror and grimaced. Her mascara was smudged all over her face and she looked something like a raccoon. The ginger locks that usually fell in wavy tresses when she woke were tangled and matted from drying weird after the fountain incident. Starting a shower, Emma returned to the sink and brushed her teeth while the water heated, then stripped down and stood under the hot water. As she began to wash herself, she found a bruise on her bottom from falling in the fountain the night before.

"Wonderful."

Half an hour later, Emma was dressed and ready, leaving her room and crossing to Carl's where they all shared breakfast at eight-fifteen every morning. Walking in, she plopped on the bed. Carl and Ken both looked at her, smirking and she rolled her eyes.

"Coffee."

Carl laughed and handed her a cup he'd already prepared and she took it happily, eyeing him.

"Jerk."

The insult was less effective than she meant it to, and as the three began eating, the meal started with a grumpy glare from Emma and hearty laughter from the two boys.

Seven floors down, a young Will Schuester was just sitting down to his own breakfast with his brother, a compass and map placed on the table before him. Using a highlighter, Will started marking all of the hotels he could find within a two mile radius to the Trevi Fountain. Surprisingly, there were quite a few – his own included, but he removed it from the list, not even bothering to tempt fate.

Ignoring the looks from his brother, Will narrowed it down to ten really nice hotels as he finished his breakfast. He'd gone to bed last night, determined to ignore the girl. She didn't want him to know her name and she was probably a tease. She'd been with two other guys. His mind had different ideas, however, and she'd invaded all of his dreams that night, dancing around, her flaming hair swirling around her. When Will woke up, he was determined to find her.

x-x

A week had passed since the incident at the Trevi Fountain. Emma continued going on adventures with Carl and Ken, enjoying herself fully. At times, her mind would wander back to the gentleman who helped her out of the fountain and she'd get lost in her thoughts. She was tipsy at the time, and she's sure her mind enhanced his features, but she was unable to get the crooked smile and the hazel eyes out of her mind at times. She wondered if she should have given him her name, truly wanting to see him again. Regret was not something Emma tended to entertain, so she wouldn't regret keeping her identity a secret, but she would dislike that he didn't appear to be playing along with her game.

Blaming her period, Emma told Ken and Carl that she didn't feel up to anything on the first day of their fifth week in Italy. Truly, she just didn't want to spend another day keeping an eye out for her Fountain Prince. She watched them leave before changing into her bikini and heading down to the hotel pool, taking a book with her. Laying down on a pool chair, Emma lathered her skin with sunblock, putting her sunglasses on and pulling her long copper locks into a messy bun. She reclined against the chair and opened her newest book, _Paradise Lost,_ and began reading, basking in the warmth of the Italian sun.

In the week that passed, Will visited many of the hotels in a two-mile radius of the Trevi Fountain, describing the young woman as best as he could to the staff at the front desks. After seven days of no success, he began to wonder if maybe the girl was lying – it was completely possible. Maybe one of those boys had been her boyfriend. Instead of getting up early, Will chose to stay in bed until noon before finally getting up.

_Might as well spend my last day relaxing. _

He showered and ate breakfast, choosing to spend the day relaxing at the pool, exhausted from his week of fruitless searching. Changing into his swim trunks, Will sun blocked up before heading downstairs to the pool, occupying one of the free pool chairs and slipping on his sunglasses.

After a few hours of reading, Emma looked up from her book, feeling unbearably hot. She set her book down on her chair and tossed her sunglasses down. Letting her hair out, she walked over to the deep end of the pool, tapping her toe into the water to test the temperature. She smiled, the coolness feeling wonderful. She took a few steps back before diving into the water, smiling as she came up for air, pushing her hair out of her face and quietly beginning to swim laps the width of the pool.

Twenty minutes later, Emma hoisted herself out of the water, dripping wet. She rang her hair out gently before shaking her fingers through it to loosen it up. Returning to her chair, Emma dried her hands off and laid back down, resuming her place in her book, feeling refreshed.

Will watched the redhead resume her seat and he couldn't close his jaw. He'd noticed her dive into the water, the flash of red having caught his eye. He watched her do laps for a bit while tanning, praying that she wouldn't leave as soon as she was done. He was dumbfounded and could not believe that he spent his whole last week in Italy searching through hotels for her, and she'd been in the same building as him the entire time. When she'd been settled for a bit, Will stood and walked over to her, sitting nonchalantly on the pool chair next to her. He leaned back for a moment before looking over at her and clearing his throat.

"Water is definitely your colour," he said, smirking over at her.

Emma let out a frustrated sigh and glanced at the man who sat next to her out of the corner of her eye. _What a line_ she thought to herself, rolling her eyes. She turned her head sharply to look at him, ready to snap at him for making such a stupid line, and tell him that 'water' isn't a colour so it wasn't even clever.

Her mouth fell open and words escaped her as her eyes landed on him. It was the boy from the other night. Swallowing, Emma's mouth fell open again and she stared for a moment before gaining the ability to speak, completely astonished that he did, in fact, find her.

"Will!"

"Ah, so it _is _my mystery girl. I found your slipper," he said, winking at her and handing her a coin from the pocket of his swim trunks.

She smirked at him and took the coin, looking at it.

"Emma," she said, nodding and looking back at him, a smile on her face. "My name's Emma."

x-x

Late that night, Emma crept back into her hotel room and walked to the bathroom. She washed her face up and brushed her teeth before changing into a nightgown and crawling into bed. In the darkness of the room, Emma lay beneath the cool covers, thinking over her evening.

Will and Emma resumed held a lengthy conversation at the pool, only deciding to go in when the sun was setting. Will hadn't wanted to leave the company of the redheaded woman before him, and if Emma were honest with herself, she hadn't wanted to leave Will. After some convincing, Emma agreed to dinner with Will. _"But it's my last night here! Doesn't the Prince get some sort of reward?"_ Emma argued that her name was the reward, but when he wouldn't relent, she nodded and they'd both gone to change before walking to a restaurant a few blocks away.

Conversation flowed easily that night, their laughter and banter flying into the night air. Will couldn't explain his feelings about Emma. He'd never met anyone like her before, so intriguing, yet so…open. She didn't hide much and that made him want to know her that much more. Emma had never felt such a connection with anyone before in her life, and she enjoyed Will's company greatly. It was a bummer that they'd have this one, perfect night in Italy, and that would be it…or would it be?

Turning over in her bed, Emma smiled and hid her face in the blankets, thinking of their parting words together. She had no idea what made her become so bold, but part of her was so thankful she was.

"_I should probably be getting back," Emma said after thanking Will profusely for paying for dinner. They'd reached the hotel lobby and were standing at the foot of the stairs._

"_Yeah, your boyfriends might get jealous."_

_Will was fishing and he knew it, but he had to know if this night would be tainted in his mind as just a friendly meeting, or whether he could look back on it in the future and tell his children of his adventure in Italy, finding a beautiful woman who he'd had a perfect date with._

"_Not my boyfriends. Carl's a family friend, and Ken's Carl's family. They're definitely not my type."_

"_Oh? What is your type, Mysterious Emma?"_

_Emma laughed and eyed him for a moment. She reached into her purse and pulled out a sticky note and a pen. Pressing the sticky note against the wall, Emma wrote out her number and her name, taking the note off of the wall and handing it to Will._

"_Here's my number. Call me, maybe." _

_She smiled and watched a smile cross his lips. Without a word, Will folded the sticky note and placed it in his breast pocket. He turned and started walking towards the elevators and Emma spun around._

"_Hey, wait a moment. Don't I get to know if you'll call me?" The words left her lips with a hint of déjà vu. It was almost exactly what Will had spoken to her as she left him after their first encounter._

_Will turned around and smirked._

"_Does the Princess ever get to find out when her Prince will call on her?" He shook his head. "No. She just has to sit at her tower window and wait for him to ride up to her door."_

_Emma's mouth fell open slightly._

"_But how will I know if it's my Prince?"_

_Will walked back over to her, smirking again. They were recreating their first meeting, but roles were reversed. "I'll give you a clue. You'll just have to answer your phone."_

_With that, he turned and called the elevator, getting on and waving as the doors closed, leaving Emma standing in the lobby, staring after him._

Emma bit her lip and snuggled deeper down into her pillows, sighing and wondering if he would even bother to call or if she was holding onto false hope. Before she could come to a decision, she drifted off to sleep, a small smile on her face. Little did she know that seven floors below her, Will was lying in bed, thinking about the beautiful redhead who'd unknowingly stolen his heart after one evening together. As he fell asleep, he decided he'd make her wait. Not to be mean, but because there was something romantic in a lost cause eventually having life breathed into it.

x-x

December brought many things with it during their freshman year of college. Both Will and Emma learned that sleep really was not a priority, roommates were a pain in the ass, and no matter what you did, it was impossible to keep your room clean all the time.

Will still thought of Emma daily, wondering when he should call her. He had her number saved in his phone and the sticky note tucked away safely in a keepsakes box, just in case. As autumn had turned into winter, Will decided on Christmas being when he would call Emma. He knew he was tempting the universe; Emma was a beautiful girl with a wonderful personality. Chances are, she'd be taken by the time he called her, but he couldn't help hoping. When December rolled around, Will focused on finals and his trip back home to Ohio. Most of all, he counted down the days until he'd hear Emma's sweet voice. Finally.

By October, Emma had given up on Will calling her. What guy would wait over three months to call a girl if he was interested and had her number? One of two things happened in Emma's mind: One, he lost her number, or two, he just wasn't interested and she made a fool of herself in Italy, believing he'd call her. She'd accepted the latter as fact and started going on about her life. She rarely dated, and though she claimed there were no boys she was interested, she was lying. There was someone she was interested. One boy. She'd spent a perfect night with him halfway around the world, only to be made a fool of. When December rolled around, Emma focused on finals and her trip to her grandparents for winter break in _Ohio_ of all places. Most of all, she focused on _not _thinking of Will. At all.

x-x

"Emmailia! Get your cutie patootie downstairs right now!"

"Coming, Grammy!"

Emma groaned and closed her bedroom door, changing into some sweats and a t-shirt. Christmas morning was quite the ordeal in the Pillsbury house and Emma was not into it this year. She didn't want the presents, the teasing from her brothers, or the family home video marathon. She didn't want _any _of it. All she wanted was to know why she was so gullible.

Her dreams the night before were plagued with Will's face and his laughter. It pissed her off like no other. When she woke up, she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but her three and five year old cousins had another idea, jumping on her bed until she sat up and shooed them, promising to be down in a few.

Sulking down the stairs, Emma went into the living room where presents were already being distributed. She sat where her grandmother said her pile was and sighed.

"Please don't call me Emmailia, Grammy. It's _Emma_. I'm only Emmailia when I'm in trouble."

"Well it's also Emmailia here, so get used to it."

Emma groaned and leaned into her grandfather, who was chuckling.

"She's just getting your goat, Emma."

"Well she's had it for a while now. I just wish she'd stop milking it."

Presents were opened and thank yous were given out with hugs and kisses of appreciation. Emma's gifts mainly consisted of cash, gift cards and books – all of which she appreciated greatly. They were in the middle of their famous Christmas brunch when Emma's phone started going off.

"'Scuse me," she mumbled, starting to get up from her seat.

"Emma, not at the breakfast table," her mother piped up, eyeing her.

"Which is why I excused myself," she glanced at the clock, "It's nine a.m. back in California – Bri is probably just calling to wish me a Merry Christmas."

She stood and started leaving the kitchen, pressing the talk button without looking at the number.

"Hey, beautiful. Merry Christmas."

Emma laughed slightly, plopping down on the couch and examining her nails. Bri was Emma's roommate at Columbia University, and they'd grown to become best friends. They both had minor self-esteem issues, and one night after a particular chat, they decided to always refer to each other in terms of beauty. She was expecting Bri's usual 'Well hello, pretty lady!' to sound through the speaker and was totally caught off guard when a man's voice came through the earpiece.

"Well that's quite the welcome. Merry Christmas to you, too."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Who's this?"

She looked at the number on her screen. Restricted. Great.

The man on the other end chuckled slightly, "I'll give you a clue: I stayed in a two-mile radius from the Trevi Fountain this past June and met the most intriguing redheaded woman there."

Emma's breath caught in her throat and she sat up, honestly surprised. She'd thought Will had forgotten her or lost her number or was never interested. Yet here he was, calling her on Christmas morning. She was momentarily speechless.

"W-Will?"

"And Bingo was her name-o. Actually, it's Emma, but you get the point."

Emma laughed a little and let out a breath.

"Wow. Uhm, I – wow. How are you? Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas. I'm doing well for the most part. The problem is I've had this princess running through my mind since I left her back in Italy, and I wasn't sure whether or not to call on her. I thought Christmas would be a good surprise."

Emma nodded. "Christmas is a very good surprise. I thought you'd – well, I gave up on you back in October, to be honest." She blushed, slightly embarrassed that she'd kept track of how long it'd been since giving up, proving that she'd done nothing but hold on.

Will was silent for a moment.

"So how's your Christmas?"

"It's alright so far," Emma started, sighing and laying back on the couch, "I'm at my grandparents' house in _Ohio _of all states. Let me tell you. Going from Virginia to New York? Amazing. Coming to _Ohio _from New York? Not so good. How's your Christmas?"

Nothing Emma said registered after Will heard 'Ohio.'

"Where in Ohio?" he asked, hoping not to sound too eager to know.

She shrugged.

"Some bean of a town called Lima. Wal-mart is about as exciting as it gets here," Emma laughed running a hand through her hair. Her grandparents moved to Lima back when she was in the second grade, and she'd always hated visiting. Everything felt too complacent for her.

Will's heart leapt into his throat and started pounding madly. He swallowed, trying to speak, but unable to. Could it be possible that the universe should throw them together again?

"Will…? Are you there?"

"Ye– I'm, I'm here."

"You alright over there?"

"I'm fine. It's just, I'm in Lima, too."

Emma flew into the sitting position, "No you aren't."

"Yeah, I am. I can even prove it to you. There's a small caul-de-sac called Peach Avenue. My family just moved into the house on the end of it this past summer while I was in Italy. You can go Google it now."

Without thinking, Emma ran out into the snow, barefoot and in her sweats and pajamas, staring.

_No. Way._

Emma cleared her throat.

"Okay, I'm doing one better than Googling."

"What's that?"

"Go into your front yard."

Will laughed, "Emma, it's freezing outside and – I hate to give you too much information – but I'm not wearing a shirt."

Emma sighed.

"Will. Go out into your front yard. Please."

She began hopping from foot to foot, the ice getting to her feet, but she had to see this for herself. She couldn't not test this theory out. Finally, after a few moments of arguing whether he should or shouldn't, Will sighed in defeat.

"Okay, okay. I'm walking down the stairs…slipping on my slippers…opening the front door…"

And then she saw him. Standing in the yard next to her, phone held to his ear, Will stood on his porch, scratching his head absentmindedly.

"Turn to your right," she breathed quietly.

Sighing, Will turned to his right. Emma could see the look of confusion and 'why am I humoring her' on his face before it went blank with realization.

There they stood, thirty feet apart in the snow, their mouths hanging open and eyes wide in identical facial expressions, phones still held up to their ears.

"Hi," she breathed.

"Hey," he let out.

As if drawn by force, they both started walking towards each other slowly, phones falling from their ears and into their pockets. They met halfway, in Emma's grandparents' driveway. She smiled up at him and he laughed for the umpteenth time that morning.

"Wow."

"I can't believe this."

"So you're the girl my parents' neighbor kept saying I had to meet. Their sweet granddaughter."

Emma blushed slightly, "I suppose I am. You must be the nice boy who mowed my grandmother's lawn this summer. She won't shut up about it."

"I suppose I am."

"You look well."

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

"Can I do something?"

"Depends."

"On?"

"What it is."

Will smirked and crossed his arms slightly, looking down at the beautiful ginger before him. It was so unreal to believe that the universe would throw them together like this, and then make him explain himself before doing what he'd wanted to that night in Italy.

"When the Prince calls on the Princess, doesn't he get a kiss?"

Emma smiled and averted her eyes, blushing deeper.

"How do I know you're my Prince?"

"You answered your phone," he answered simply.

Again, Emma remembered their final conversation.

"_But how will I know if it's my Prince?"_

_Will walked back over to her, smirking again. They were recreating their first meeting, but roles were reversed. "I'll give you a clue. You'll just have to answer your phone."_

Smiling, Emma stepped forward, the numbness in her feet forgotten as she stepped on his slippered feet and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Then I guess you should collect your prize."

It was ridiculous, they both knew, to be feeling so drawn to each other after one night together and then over five months of zero contact. But there was a connection there; a tangible connection that they would be stupid to ignore.

Beaming, Will leaned down and kissed Emma full on the mouth. It wasn't rushed or messy, there was no tonsil hockey or swapped spit. Just two pairs of lips dancing together, each whispering to the other _'I've waited for this for a while now.'_

_**EPILOGUE**_

Emma lay back on her bed, eyes closed. She smiled slightly, listening to Will tell the story of their first three meetings. He was always so adorable when he told the stories, that she never got tired of listening to him tell it. Sure, she lived it, but there was something in the way that he articulated it that made it sound so much more romantic than it actually was.

The way Will told it, it was a fairytale ending. The way the Universe told it, it was just a bunch of fate and coincidences with a happy ending.

She heard him come to the end of the story and smiled wider, sitting up slightly.

"Em, don't move, I'm not done yet."

Emma laughed slightly.

"Will, they can both hear it, I promise you."

She sat back against her headboard and ran a hand over her five month pregnant stomach where her first two children rested. She smiled and shook her head at Will as he gave her a puppy-dog pout.

"Honey, not only am I positive they both hear it, I know for a _fact _they've both heard it multiple times, as you tell them that story every night before bed."

Will smiled and moved up next to her, placing kisses to her rounded belly.

"They deserve to know the meaning behind their names and why they are so loved."

It had been fifteen years since Will and Emma met back in Italy. Shortly after Christmas, they began dating and stayed dating for ten years before Will finally popped the question. They were married after eleven years of being together and just this year, decided to start a family. Emma had been worried that she'd run out of time to have children, and they'd been blessed to find out that she was pregnant with twins; one boy and one girl.

Naming them was easy. Emma called dibs on first names ("I have the uterus") and Will got the middle names. Within days of finding out the gender of their children, Emma decided on William for their son and Evelynne for their daughter. Will smiled and nodded his approval. "Perfect," he'd said, "And middle name for William will be Rome. Middle name for Evelynne will be Trevi." Emma took a good month to warm up to the names. William Rome Schuester and Evelynne Trevi Schuester. She couldn't veto it, though, not when Will was so thrilled. Eventually, she caved, claiming they were beautiful names, which they were; they just took a while to adjust to.

"They will know," she smiled warmly and slid back down beneath the covers, waiting for Will to join her. She cuddled up to him as he wrapped his arms around her, stroking their unborn children gently.

"How can you be so sure?"

"For one, because you're the most loving man I know," she pecked his cheek gently, "But mainly, the Universe has had a way of working things out really well for our family so far. They'll have the universe, and you. Trust me when I say that's all anyone needs."

Will reached down and kissed her lips softly, "I love you, baby."

He often wondered how he'd ended up so lucky, and he thanked God every day that his parents decided to surprise him with a trip to Italy when he was eighteen. Emma was the greatest gift that life had ever thrown at him.

"I love you, too."

She turned and pressed her back against Will's chest, smiling when his arms wrapped tightly around her, his hands resting protectively on her stomach. She closed her eyes and started to drift off into a blissful sleep, Will following shortly afterward, comforted by his wife's words.


End file.
